The Line: Alberta Podcast

The topic of Alberta separation has been thrust into the national spotlight, amid the ongoing petition campaign by separatists to force a referendum, and reports about possible U.S. involvement. We've heard provocative comments from Trump's treasury secretary and other Republican and MAGA figures. We've also had new reports about Alberta separatist delegations to Washington, D.C. to seek out meeting with Trump administration officials

The group Forever Canadian was launched last year to either head off a referendum or beat the separatists to the punch. However, subsequent legislative tweaks allowed the Alberta government to bypass the duplicate petition rule, and bypass the "no unconstitutional questions" rule to make sure the separatists could proceed with their petition (under the new lower signature threshold, of course).

We speak with Forever Canadian founder - and former Alberta MLA and cabinet minister - Thomas Lukaszuk about why Premier Smith went out of her way to accommodate the separatists, what she needs to say and do about possible foreign interference, the concerns about this moment of political uncertainty, and where this is all headed. Forever Canadian is now shifting from a petition-oriented cause to one now focused on defeating separatism at the ballot box.

In this episode of The Line Alberta podcast, host Rob Breakenridge explores two big topics of interest right now in Alberta: why the U.S. is suddenly so interested in a possible Alberta independence referendum, and what it's going to take to meaningfully diversify the export markets for Alberta oil so that we're less reliant on the Americans.

First, a conversation with National Observer columnist Max Fawcett on the current state of debate over Alberta separatism and to what extent we should worry about American interference. Last week's Trump's treasury secretary went out of his way to mention a possible Alberta separation vote, and other MAGA and Republican figures have been talking openly about Alberta becoming the 51st state. What do we need to hear from Alberta's premier about this potential meddling and just what the plan is when it comes to a possible referendum?

Also, amid the broader conversation around Canada's evolving trade relationship with the United States, we'll take a closer look at how that impacts Alberta's oil exports and how realistic it is to quickly and significantly increase exports to new markets. Much of that revolves around a potential new pipeline to the west coast, but there are still many hurdles to that project. We'll hear from Richard Masson, executive fellow at the University of Calgary's School of Public Policy. He's also a former CEO at the Alberta Petroleum Marketing Commission - an agency that seems suddenly relevant in the Alberta government's strategy.

In this episode of The Line: Alberta podcast, host Rob Breakenridge takes a closer look at the growing concern over the state of acute care in Alberta and what many doctors are describing as a crisis in the province's emergency rooms.

Calls have been mounting for the Alberta government to declare a state of emergency in acute care, and those calls have grown louder following the high-profile death of a 44-year-old man in an Edmonton ER in lace December. The man's family said he was suffering from chest pains, but died in the ER after waiting eight hours for case. The province has launched a fatality inquiry into the case.

Our guest this week is Dr. Warren Thirsk, president of the Alberta Medical Association's emergency section. Dr. Thirsk shares with us his firsthand experience and what he's witnesses on the front lines of emergency care, and get his assessment on what's led to the current pressure on the system and the persistent problem of acute care running at near- or overcapacity. We'll also get his reaction to some of the steps the Alberta government has announced - including a pilot project using so-called triage liaison physicians - and what needs to be done longer term to stabilize and strengthen the system.

In this episode of The Line: Alberta podcast, Rob Breakenridge takes a closer look at the latest water crisis in the city of Calgary following the latest catastrophic failure of a crucial water line. As Calgarians face weeks or months of water use restrictions and costly and lengthy work on the system, an independent panel (established after the last crisis, just 18 months ago) has released its findings, which are quite scathing when it comes to Calgary's oversight and management of the water system. So much of this was preventable, it seems.

We'll hear two different perspectives on the situation: Kerry Black is an associate professor and Canada Research Chair at the Schulich School of Engineering at the University of Calgary. We'll get her perspective on what caused these problems and what needs to change moving forward, both in terms of how the system operates and how businesses and households use that system.

We'll also have a perspective from an expert in the industry: Micheal Montanero is with SmartAqua Technology Solutions, which works with communities and businesses to minimize water loss. One of the findings in the panel's report on Calgary's water system was how serious the issue of water loss was becoming amid an aging and crumbling infrastructure. We'll hear Micheal's thoughts on how Calgary dropped the ball and what the lessons other cities should learns from this crisis.

In this week's episode of The Line Alberta podcast, Rob Breakenridge sits down for a conversation with Airdrie-Cochrane MLA Peter Guthrie, who just recently became leader of the Alberta Party.

Guthrie, of course, started the year as a member of Danielle Smith's cabinet, before stepping down over his concerns about how the government was handling the controversy around health care contracts and procurement. His calls for a public inquiry into the matter led to his expulsion from the UCP caucus.

Since then, Guthrie has become a sharp critic of the Smith government and has been organizing to present Albertans with a more moderate - and federalist - conservative option. Efforts to revive the Alberta PC Party have been met with lawsuit threats from the UCP and ultimately legislative roadblocks in the form of Bill 14.

In this episode, we discuss Guthrie's own political journey and what future holds for the Alberta Party and its possible rebranding. We'll also discuss the referendum question whether the UCP has been co-opted by the separatist movement, and what it all means for the possibility of an early election in 2026.